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Hollyleaf's New Life
Hollyleaf raced into the tunnels, half-insane and angry. Jayfeather called, "Wait!" but Lionblaze stopped him. She didn't care. She simply didn't care. She didn't care about Ashfur. She didn't care about Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight. She certainly didn't care about Crowfeather and Leafpool. She was beginning to even not care about Lionblaze and Jayfeather. She raced deeper and deeper into the darkness. She knew the tunnel was collapsing behind her. She would probably never get back out, but who cared? There was nothing important for her to get back out to. She reached the main cavern. Its ominous blackness loomed before her, when suddenly she felt fur. It wasn't her own fur. There was someone- or some''thing- brushing against her. Her first instincts were fox or badger, to race into the nearest tunnel and hope it lead somewhere. But maybe- maybe it was a cat? Hollyleaf remembered when they were in the tunnels searching for lost kits, how Jaypaw had insisted that someone was by him even when the nearest cat was far back behind. Maybe it was that? "Hello?" she called cautiously. A tortoiseshell tom revealed himself. "Greetings." He dipped his head. "I am Fallen Leaves. Yes, I did lead Jaypaw to the kits. Yes, I am dead, and yes, I have wandered here for countless moons." Hollyleaf was startled by three things. First, it ''was ''a cat. Second, he showed respect. Third, he answered every question that had run through her mind! "I- I'm Hollyleaf," she stammered. She didn't know if she could do this. She wanted to dig her way back up to her brothers. But something kept her there. Fallen Leaves looked at her, scrutinizing her, inspecting every detail. Finally he spoke. "It is your destiny, Hollyleaf... your destiny to stay here. Don't try to leave. You'd only make everything worse. Your brothers believe you are dead." "What?!" Hollyleaf snapped alert. "What? No! I want to go back!" Fallen Leaves became angry. "I am not usually angry. It is your destiny to stay! There is nothing left for you back there. You were never one of the prophecy. You don't have any powers. You don't have anything special." Hollyleaf hissed in alarm. How dare he say that! She had noticed, thank him very much, that she didn't appear to have a power like her siblings. But surely there was something special about her? Something? Anything? But Fallen Leaves's words filled her mind. ''There is nothing left for you! You don't have anything special. Hollyleaf glared at her paws, as if they had controlled her, forced her to come down here. When she looked up, Fallen Leaves was not there. She felt a presence behind her. She spun around, and came face to face with a huge copy of Brambleclaw himself. "I am not Fallen Leaves!" the tom hissed in a raspy voice, as though he were old, and yet it carried more than a hint of threatning. "Fallen Leaves was a fool. He couldn't figure the tunnels out. He was destined to get out alive, to get out and live with me in his dreams! "No, I am not a fool like him. I showed him the way! He didn't listen! That ignorant thing. No, I will make a cat out of you. A real cat, not like those puny warriors up there!" He drew closer as he spoke, until he was speaking in Hollyleaf's face. She flinched back instinctively. "Who are you?!" Hollyleaf demanded. "All in good time," the big tom purred with triumph gleaming in his eyes. "All in good time." The she-cat came to her senses. She leaped at the star-cat, furious. "I will never follow you!" she snarled. The tom's claws slid out, long, curving, thorny things of a nightmare. Hollyleaf became frightened, although she didn't show it. She bit down, hard and long, on the back of his neck. He faded away, never to be seen again. Hollyleaf caught one last lingering whiff of his scent. It reminded her of Brambleclaw, her so-called father, but it was different- and besides, that cat had had blue eyes, not amber. So, she realized with relief, it wasn't Tigerstar either. She racked her brain, trying to remember anyone else that looked like that. A name flashed into her head. Hawkfrost. She had destroyed the spirit of Hawkfrost. Very well, ''she thought. ''One less traitor to mess with everyone's dreams. A tortoiseshell tom, nearly identical to the first, but smaller, advanced cautiously from a different tunnel. "I am the real Fallen Leaves. When you killed Hawkfrost, I was set free from his trap for me. Thank you." Hollyleaf felt humbled, if not a bit scared that the same thing would happen again- with Tigerstar this time! But this cat was polite, not like the Hawkfrost-Fallen Leaves imposter had been. "I rule these tunnels now," Fallen Leaves continued. "I would like you to join me- forever we will guide cats around the tunnels, forever!" Hollyleaf gladly accepted.